Big Boss of the Day: Bowser

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Number one source of misery to princesses and Italian plumbers everywhere.

By Jesse Schedeen

Over the past few years, we've spotlighted some of the greatest heroes of pop culture in a recurring feature called IGN Stars Icons. These features examine heroes like Mario, Indiana Jones and Batman, while exploring their origins, their greatest missions and the skills that make them unique as heroes.

And while there will always be more worthy heroes to spotlight, we have to admit we're getting tired of just focusing on one end of the spectrum. Bad guys need love, too. And with that in mind, we've decided to go forward with a new feature called Big Boss of the Day. Email us your suggestions and, yeah, we'll make it happen.

In this feature, we spotlight a popular boss character from the world of videogames. As with Stars Icons, we examine their origins, their greatest villainous plots and just what makes them tick.

Today's boss is one of the oldest villains in the gaming industry, not to mention one of the most iconic. If it weren't for Bowser – a.k.a. King Koopa – The Mario Bros. would have a lot more time to devote to their plumbing business. But with Bowser obsessed with kidnapping the fair Princess peach at every possible opportunity, there is no rest for the industry's delightful Italian stereotypes.

Bowser hasn't been around since the beginnings of the Super Mario Bros. franchise. He wasn't even Mario's first nemesis – that honor goes to Donkey Kong. But Bowser was present when Mario ditched the arcade for the NES in Super Mario Bros., and to this day it's rare for gamers to find one without the other.

Bowser began a long, storied career of kidnapping Princess Peach (Princess Toadstool at the time) in this game. His reasons were even less complicated than they are now. As Mario, gamers pursued Bowser through eight varied worlds in the Mushroom Kingdom. The final level of each world took place in one of Bowser's castles. And for the first seven battles, gamers would defeat "Bowser" only to discover that he was an impostor and that the real princess was in another castle.

But in World 8, the real Bowser finally reared his ugly mug. This proved to be Mario's toughest challenge yet. But with some quick reflexes and a little perseverance, Bowser was cast into molten lava just like his minions. The real princess was rescued, and Mario was able to rest easy until Bowser returned to start the process all over again.

Best Mission

Trying to select the best Mario game from 20 years of great Mario games is almost an exercise in futility. But when in doubt, it's always safe to go with Super Mario 64. This game brought Mario and his nemesis into the 3D realm for an action adventure that proved every bit as challenging and entertaining as its predecessors. Heck, it's still one of the greatest games ever made, even 13 years later.

Bowser hadn't changed much since the first game. His lone priorities still rested on kidnapping Princess Peach and making life miserable for Mario. This time, Bowser scattered 120 stars throughout Mushroom Kingdom Castle and the many worlds its portals lead to.

Like most Mario games, gamers were able to clash with Bowser several times leading up to the final showdown. The shift to 3-D offered interesting new dynamics for their brawls, including the ability for Mario to grab Bowser's tail, twirl him, and launch him off the stage entirely. For his part, Bowser had grown more menacing and imposing than ever. Still, as much as Bowser likes to put on a good show, nothing was going to stop Mario from claiming that cake Peach promised him.

Method of Attack

Bowser is big, mean and proud of it. He physically towers over Mario, even when the portly plumber is powered up by mushrooms, fire flowers and the other power-up perks of Mushroom Kingdom. Therefore, Bowser's strategy is simple. He prefers to combat Mario by leaping, slashing and crushing. Despite the fact that Bowser is a turtle, not a dragon, he also enjoys spitting fire at his enemies.

Bowser is also pretty nifty with the power tools, and the more recent games have been a showcase for his wacky inventions and machines. Bowser has designed floating pirate ships, hover craft, and various weapons of mass destruction. The peaceful Mushroom Kingdom never knows what hit it when Bowser and the Koopa Troopas come calling.

Weaknesses

Bowser is tough, but he's not terribly smart, and therein lies his true weakness. As Ra's al Ghul instructed in Batman Begins, a warrior must always mind his surroundings. Intrepid players can overcome Bowser merely by dodging his attacks and letting nature take its course. Bowser will frequently pound his way through bridges and walls until he inadvertently plummets into the endless pools of lava that permeate his castle.

Even if Bowser hasn't accidentally laid his own doom right under his feet, Mario can generally find a handy switch or simply toss Bowser right into one of his own traps. Truly, as a videogame boss, Bowser is his own worst enemy.

What They're Up To

Bowser is still keeping himself quite busy. Donkey Kong has long since renounced his life of princess-napping, and nobody likes Wart very much, so the many Mario games in development require Bowser to headline in his usual, villainous role. New Super Mario Bros. Wii just hit stores, and Bowser will also be seen in Super Mario Galaxy 2 next year.

Outside videogames, though, Bowser is largely absent. We assume this has something to do with the truly atrocious Super Mario Bros. Movie from the mid '90s. Until Pixar or another animation studio chooses to tackle the adventures of Mario and friends, we'd just as soon have Bowser stay out of the Hollywood limelight.